Improvement in hammock-supports



o. TuF'Ts.

Hammock-Supports.

144168iv A l Patented Got-.28,1873.

'.TNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTIS TUFTS, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAMMocK-suPPoRTs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,168, dated October 2B, 1873; application filed August 16, 1873.

To all whom it may concern: j

Be it known that I, O'TIS TUFTs,of Boston,

in the county of Suffolk and State of Massa chusetts, have invented an Improvement in Supporting Hammocks; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of my invention suiiieient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to the construction and arrangement of certain devices to be used for supporting a hammock in a room or chamber, or upon or under a piazza or porch, where the only surfaces which can be used are a licor and the under side of the overhanging ceiling or roof. j

In my invention I use for each end of the hammock two vertical rods, one extending from and the other sliding through a couplerplate, the outer end of each rod having a flatfaced head or button that bears against the ioor or overhanging surface, and the upper rod havin g ratchet-teeth which engage with a retaining# pawl pivoted to the. coupler, the pawl holding the rods in position when a strain is brought upon the upper rod to press it toward the bottom one. At the inner side of each coupler is a hook for suspending the adjacent end of the hammock, and this hook,

preferably, extends from a brace-rod jointed to the coupler; and to the upper end of the rod (beyond the pivot) may be jointed aliftingpawl, which, pressing or resting against the ratchet-teeth, may be used to lift the upper rod by working the brace-rod as a lever or handle, downward movement of the brace-rod raising the pawl and through it the ratchetrod, and the detainer-pawl holding the latter rod, so that as the brace-rod is raised its pawl will slip over the ratchet-teeth- My invention consists7 primarily, in the two vertical rods, connected ,and held in position as thus generally described, and in the 'combination therewith of the brace-rods and-lifterrods for aiding in the support of the hammock and for working the upper rods.

The drawing represents a construction embodying my invention.

Figure 1 shows the hammoek-supports in elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the coupler. Fig. 3 is a section of the head or button at the top of the upper rod.

a b denote the two rods of each support. The top of the lower rod a extends into and is preferably xed to the coupling box or plate c, and the upper rod b extends through said box or plate, and is preferably fixed at its foot to a slide, d, through which the rod a extends, a suitable screw, e, serving to clamp the rods in relative position, if necessary. `To each plate, c, is pivoted a pawl, f, which engages with the ratchet-teeth g, formed on the inner side of tne bar b, as seen Vin Fig. 2, this pawl holding the rod b in elevated position. At the foot of the bar a is a button, h, that rests upon the floor i, and at the top of the upper bar bis a button, 7c, to bear against the surface l, this button being, preferably, socketed, as seen in Fig. 3,

and having playing within it a ball, my, on the end of the rod b, so that the liat'upper face of the button may conform to or meet the surface Z, if the rod b be not exactly vertical, or the surface Z exactly horizontal. The button la, may be similarly made, with a similar connection to the rod a. At the inner side of each rod is the hammock-suspending hook u, and this hook, preferably, extends froma brace bar or rod, o, which, jointed to the couplerplate c, rests at its foot upon the floor 2, at an angle to the rod a, and thereby :aids in supporting the hammock, the hook being so placed that the weight upon the hammock presses down the rod o. is shown as extending beyond the pivot, and

'as having a lifter-pawl, p, jointed to it, this pawl, by gravity, or by means of a suitable spring, being held against the ratcheted face of the rod b. j

In adjusting the rods a b, this rod or bar o is used as a lifter-bar or lever, the pawl p raising the bar, as before described. When the bar a is braced against the licor, and the hammock is suspended, the pawl f, as well as the pawl p, assists in supporting the bar b.

Vhen the pawls and the screw c are loosened, the rods c b may be brought together, so that they occupy but a very small space for transportation.

A spring may be placed between the outer The upper end of the bar o 2 Illhl end of either rod a b and the button 01' socketfrolIi-.Whieh such rod extends. The spring is preferably placed 1'11 the socket 7.-.

I claiml. The eomb'in ation of the rods a b, couplings c, hooks n, and rods o7 connected and operating to support :L hammock, substantially as shown and described.

2. Incombinaitionwith tie rods 17,7eo1ipii1ig o, zuid its looking-pand, the buttons 1L lr, sukstzmtially as described.

3. Iil combination with Jche rods a b, the brace-rod 0 and its lifter-pand p, and the coup- 1in g 0 Wit-h its supporting-pand f.

, OTIS TUFTS.

Viinesses FRANCIS GoULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

